In the art of reaping seeds from wild grasses or plants, there is a need for portable hand-held seed harvesting apparatus. Wild grasses and plants are often located in difficult to access or ecologically sensitive areas. Hand-held seed harvesting apparatus are portable, do little damage to harvesting sites, and are effective for selective harvesting from intermixed wild plant varieties.
Mahler (U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,139) discloses a hand-held plant clipping collector apparatus comprising a rotatable monofilament line or string trimmer rotatably attached to an elongated handle. A containment means is attached to the cutting end of the portable string trimmer handle and provides an open-ended entrance for cut seed and clippings. The containment means has an open back with a cutting collector in the form of a cloth bag or sack. However, the Mahler apparatus is relatively inefficient since use of a single string for trimming provides limited coverage, and is therefore relatively inefficient. Further, the apparatus is generally adapted to be used with the handle held generally vertically, and is relatively awkward for use in collecting clippings from the top of tall grasses or plants.